So, yesterday it was the anniversary of my arrival into the UK when I chose it as my home. 17 years ago. I studied, worked, made friends, married, had a child, moved across cities and nations in the union. I can recognise most regional accents, I get all Brit comedy . 1) I read and teach English literature. I am a British citizen. But there is nothing you can do to stop the system reminding you that you do not belong. Today, as I reached for my Saturday paper by the postbox I get a letter from HM passport office 2)

Months of lockdown, full time work,homeschooling,trauma & grief hearing stories from #italy and waiting for #covid to hit UK.After over 40k & lies/spin the country re-opens. #masks are still an option for most people and the prospect of the autumn/winter is terrifying 1/ #Covid is still very much here. This is time for research now (for those of us in academia), time for school holidays, time to rest. This is also time for me to return to Italy, to my missed #cilento to see #family to heal months of separation 2/

“The Italians, any old excuse to, you know, shut down everything and stop work for a bit and have a long siesta.” Dr Christian Jessen says Italians are using coronavirus as an excuse for a ‘long siesta’ independent.co.uk/news/world/eur… @Katierosseinsky #COVID #coronavirus shocking remarks made about a people, a culture, a nation. Appalling that #pandemic is used to ridicule other nations and somewhat boast on British superiority. 2/

Amazing running picket today @KeeleUCU #StrikeBack #ussstrike and the #hippocampus is back! @KeeleUCU runners’ portraits

Life in pictures: day 2. I nominate @FiorellaMontt

https://twitter.com/MA_Palladino/status/1234750208279535616

My life in pictures. Thanks to @BarbaraKelly8 for the nomination. Day 3: no words, no actual people, just a picture. I nominate @RBrightHistory

After months of relentless work, some time off for exhaustion,balancing caring responsibilities & increasingly impossible academic job,the joys of the digital picket to support amazing colleagues on strike (@KeeleUCU we could not)I’m happy to share this: edinburghuniversitypress.com/book-refugee-i… I have to thank the amazing @David_Farrier & Agnes Woolley for supporting me at difficult times (this was when Brexit really hit hard on my family).This is what is left in academia worth staying and fighting for:collegiality, scholarship,and of course,working with students.